Player confirms he’s joined Arsenal on 5-year deal after Ozil talks

Shkodran Mustafi has been speaking openly about his move to Arsenal today, despite the transfer not officially being announced yet.

After weeks of negotiations, we finally agreed a deal with Valencia on Thursday night with the Telegraph claiming we’ll pay the Spaniards a structured deal that could reach £35m.

The 24-year-old flew in to London to undergo his medical on Friday afternoon and Arsene Wenger confirmed after our 3-1 win at Watford on Saturday that Mustafi had joined the club but paperwork was delaying the official announcement.

Mustafi has now been speaking to Sky Sports Germany today and has been talking openly about his move to the Emirates before the move has even been formally announced.

The centre-back confirmed that he’s signed a five-year deal and revealed that the transfer will finally be announced on Tuesday after the bank holiday.

He also says he jumped at the chance to join Arsenal after Mesut Ozil gave him an insight in to life in north London and is looking forward to playing for a ‘giant club’ like Arsenal.

“For me, it’s important to have a coach who has been there for many, many years & takes care of everything,”

“I haven’t spoken to Per [Mertesacker] yet, but I spoke with Mesut [Özil] & he told me everything [about the club].”

“[He said] how the club is & how it’s run. Everything he said was very positive & I was quickly convinced.”

“If a big move like this happens, there is always a lot that has to be planned, discussed & talked about.”

“But when you finally sign, you are relieved & ultimately also satisfied with it. Everyone is of course trying to get the best for each other, so it’s natural it takes time.”

“[They’re] a big club, a giant club with giant history, a club that always plays up there, always in Europe too.”

“I’ve taken a step forward, that was important to me. In my career, I’ve always looked out for taking steps forward.”

“Playing in the Champions League & with teammates who I can learn from, who have big experience, so that’s why I moved there.”

“It’s not the typical English club who play typical English football but instead, the football that I like.”

Mustafi is expected to be unvielled as part of a sensational double deal as striker Lucas Perez is also set to arrive in a £17m deal from Deportivo La Coruna after also completing his medical on Friday.

So we’ve filled two areas that desperately needed addressed. Mustafi is a top class defender who’ll turn out to be an excellent signing. Perez is more of a calculated gamble but I have a feeling he’ll do a lot better than some people expect.